create_workbookLABSCO SUMMARY
It writes the file format, not a CSV you have to convert.
The distinction that matters is that output is a real workbook — styles, charts and pivot tables included — so what the assistant produces is what a colleague opens, not something you finish by hand. Because no Excel installation is involved it runs anywhere Python does, including a server. EXCEL_FILES_PATH is worth setting deliberately: it is where every workbook is read from and written to.
What it is
An Excel manipulation server built on OpenPyXL. It creates and modifies workbooks, manages worksheets and ranges, applies formatting, and builds charts and pivot tables, all without Microsoft Excel on the machine.
What you get
- Workbook and worksheet management — create, modify, and work with named ranges
- Reading and writing data into cells and ranges
- Formatting and styles applied to cells and ranges
- Charts and visualizations
- Pivot tables for data analysis
- Errors come back with messages rather than as a silent failure
Requirements
Python 3.10 or higher, with MCP SDK 1.2.0+ and OpenPyXL 3.1.2+. Start it with uv run excel-mcp-server. EXCEL_FILES_PATH sets the directory where workbooks live, defaulting to ./excel_files. It starts in SSE mode; clients such as Cursor connect at http://localhost:8000/sse.
Setup effort
Build from source — git clone https://github.com/fish0710/excel-mcp.git
USE CASES
01
Turning data into a workbook someone will open
Write the sheets, apply the formatting, and hand over an .xlsx rather than raw values.
02
Adding a chart to a report
Build the visualization inside the workbook instead of exporting an image separately.
03
Summarising with a pivot table
Have the pivot built in the file so the recipient can pivot it further themselves.
04
Editing a spreadsheet you were sent
Read the existing workbook, change what needs changing, and save it back in place.
18 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
create_worksheetget_workbook_metadatawrite_data_to_excelread_data_from_excelformat_rangemerge_cellsunmerge_cellsapply_formulavalidate_formula_syntaxcreate_chartcreate_pivot_tablecopy_worksheetdelete_worksheetrename_worksheetcopy_rangedelete_rangevalidate_excel_rangeBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
18 tools named in the project's documentation.
Requires
- uv on PATH
- Python 3.10+
Where it runs
The documented client runs the server on your machine.
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
TERMINAL
git clone https://github.com/fish0710/excel-mcp.git
cd excel-mcp
uv run excel-mcp-serverMCP Clients
Cursor
Start the server first with uv run excel-mcp-server in your clone; it runs in SSE mode and waits for clients.
In Cursor, add an MCP server that connects to this SSE endpoint:
CURSOR · URL
http://localhost:8000/sse
